


ToriKasa stories

by yuzurusjorts



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Aged up characters(chapter 4), Domestic Fluff, Future Fic(chapter 6), Just a warning in case it’s not obvious but the chapters are not connected to each other, M/M, Most of them are going to be fluff, New Years, Pocky Game, Second Year ToriKasa, Sharing a Bed, Tags will be added as I upload more chapters, Tsukasa is and will always be a chubby boy, Valentine’s Day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-09-28 07:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17178653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuzurusjorts/pseuds/yuzurusjorts
Summary: Chapter 6- Strawberry PancakeWhen Tsukasa finally opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is pink.





	1. The Pocky game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”Ne, Tsukasa?”
> 
> At the sound of Tori’s voice, Tsukasa didn’t lift up his head from his reading position, but still emitted a low hum of acknowledgement.
> 
> ”Have you ever heard about the pocky game?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect updates to be inconsistent, since writing is a hobby to me and I plan to use this collection as a way to have fun before anything else. English is not my mother language and I don’t have a beta reader, so please let me know if you see any horrendous grammar mistake.
> 
> This chapter contains: study session, secret relationship, pocky game, tooth rotting fluff, boys being cute, and kissing.
> 
> Note: Italics in Tsukasa’s speech means he’s speaking english.

”Ne, Tsukasa?”

At the sound of Tori’s voice, Tsukasa didn’t lift up his head from his reading position, but still emitted a low hum of acknowledgement.

”Have you ever heard about the pocky game?”

”Huh?” Now, that made him lift his head up, meeting a far-too-innocent smile on Tori’s face. “I mean, yes. But why are you asking?”

Avoiding Tsukasa’s eyes, Tori looked down at his own long abandoned and still mostly blank homework, playing with one of the clip on notes attached to the book’s page.

”Well.... it’s just that we have been studying for hours-“

”It’s only been a few minutes more than one hour.”

He pouted at Tsukasa’s interruption, huffing a bit. 

”That’s still too long! I can’t focus if I don’t take a break, and it’s gotta be right now!”

”You’re only doing this because you’re stuck on a question, right?” Tsukasa tried to get closer and take a look at Tori’s book, but the other boy quickly snatched it away. He gave Tori an unimpressed look. “Stop being childish, the sooner you finish, the sooner you will be free from it. Besides, you did invite me over specifically for a _study session _.”__

____

____

”I’m not! I just really really really need a break right now and if you don’t let me then you’re a big meanie.”

A few seconds passed with the two just staring at each other, but Tsukasa promptly turned his attention back to the book in front of him.

”No way. We can take a 15 minutes break after we finish this assignment.”

Tori groaned loudly, crawling around the table and then sitting right besides Tsukasa. “C’mon! We don’t have to stop completely, just for a few minutes and then I promise I will finish it. If you say yes, I got a surprise for you...” 

The smirk on Tori’s face grew as he fished a box out of his sweater’s pocket, quickly hiding it behind his back before Tsukasa could catch any glimpse of it’s label. He looked at Tori suspiciously.

”What kind of surprise?”

”Interested, are we? I will show you..... if you say we can take a break from homework right now.”

It only took a moment before Tsukasa sighed, defeated.

”Okay, fine.” He finally let go of the pen and pushed the books into the center of the table, turning to face Tori. “I cannot believe you’re bribing me.”

That caused the boy to giggle. “Don’t be sour! Do you need something sweet to make you feel better?”

A pink box was thrown in Tsukasa’s direction, and he rushed to grab it.

”...Pocky? Really?” He didn’t know if he felt mildly disappointed or happy that things turned out to be exactly as he was expecting. 

Tori watched as Tsukasa opened the box, took two sticks out and started munching on them distractedly. He kind of wishes he was those Pocky sticks instead. A minuscule part of his brain entertained the thought, but soon pushed it far, far away. Too weird.

It didn’t take long before the box started to look empty, and Tori was reminded of the _real_ reason why he wanted to take a break, and the reason why he stood up in the cafeteria for half an hour waiting to buy this box of special edition cherry flavored Pocky.

”Oi, Tsukasa! Wait, you can’t eat all of them! Save at least one, will you?”

”Hm?” Tsukasa stopped right before placing the last stick in his mouth. “Ah, that wasn’t courteous at all. Surely, you were expecting for us to share?”

”Not exactly.” _’I actually did buy it for you,’_ Tori completes in his mind, grabbing the Pocky from Tsukasa’s hand and letting their fingers brush for one second too long. “I only need one.” 

He scooted closer so him and Tsukasa were facing each other. Placing the Pocky gently between his own lips, Tori watched the other boy’s face turn many different shades of red. He smirked as much as the Pocky’s position allowed him to.

”Well? Arenchu goin’ to pway with me, Ch’kasa?”

”Ehhhh?! _Excuse me_?!” Tsukasa tried to lean away, but Tori had already snaked his arms around Tsukasa’s waist, making escape unreachable. “Tori-kun! This is extremely inappropriate, your parents could come inside at any moment!”

”Eh, ‘s okay. I told them to not intewupt my study seshion, beshides they’re pwobabwy busy.”

“You planned this, didn’t you?” Tsukasa sighed, trying to control his blushing face. He grabbed the Pocky and pulled it out of Tori’s mouth. “You sound more silly than cute, holding this in your lips.”

Tori pouted, looking up at Tsukasa from the position where he rested his chin on the boy’s chest. “I’m always cute!”

”Hmmm.” Tsukasa feigned to be deep in thought. He reached down to kiss Tori’s cheek, and smiled. “Is that so?”

“Ewww!!! I can’t believe Tsukasa just kissed me, that’s soooo gross!!!!” But untrue to his words, Tori smiled and slightly brushed his rosy cheeks against Tsukasa’s chest in an act of affection. “But don’t think your distractions are going to work any longer! I still want you to play the Pocky game with me!”

”I suppose I cannot back away from a formal challenge to a _duel_.” Tsukasa relented, and Tori beamed at those words, waiting expectantly. “Just so you know, I don’t plan on losing.”

They both readjusted their position, and the Pocky was placed between Tsukasa’s lips this time.

”Good! Because I don’t, either.”

Tori gave a determined nod before biting on the pinkish cream covered part of the Pocky. He felt his cheeks burn a bit, the distance between them suddenly felt way too short, but there’s no way he’d give up after challenging Tsukasa himself! After all he had a plan! He looked directly into Tsukasa’s eyes as he took a decently sized bite and waited for the other boy to make his move.

Tsukasa took only a small bite of it. So, he was going to play hard to get? Somehow that annoyed Tori. As revenge, he took a huge bite, so their noses were almost touching now. Tsukasa squealed, caught off guard, and almost let go of the Pocky, but he soon recovered and frowned slightly. Tori smiled sweetly, feigning innocence.

It took a few moments before Tsukasa moved again, this time taking a bite big enough so their noses were touching and their lips only separated by an extra short and small piece of what was once a Pocky stick. He looked at Tori smugly, surely there was no way he could lose now; if the pink haired pseudo-menace tried to take another bite, he would almost certainly touch Tsukasa’s lips, or he’d let go of the stick, both leading into defeat. 

’A completely flawless _victory_.’ Tsukasa thought to himself.

Little did he know that, from the start, Tori never intended to follow the rules.

”Eep!” Tsukasa yelped and was surprised to feel a pair of soft and sweet lips touch his own. He opened his eyes and found himself facing Tori’s satisfied expression, with closed eyes and all, as they kissed.

A small part of him wanted to laugh at Tori’s predictability, and another part wanted to laugh at himself for getting so focused on winning that he ended up not expecting something obvious. In the end, both parts agreed that he should just relax and enjoy the affections. They _are_ dating, after all.

Tsukasa closed his eyes again, leaning in, and reciprocated the kiss. He felt Tori smile and lightly grab his jacket with both hands. The faint taste of cherry on Tori’s lips registered in Tsukasa’s brain, and he found himself enjoying it. He hoped Tori enjoyed the taste on him, too.

They separated a few seconds later, Tori sighed happily and hugged Tsukasa loosely, resting his head on the taller boy’s shoulder. Tsukasa hummed.

”So, does this mean I won?”

He laughed when Tori lightly slapped his arm, huffing.

”Shut up, Tsukasa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Bonus Scene**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> “Ah! So you really were stuck on this question!”
> 
> Now that their little break was over and they were finally back to the assignment at hand, Tsukasa checked Tori’s still-mostly-blank book.
> 
> ”Ugh... just teach me how to do it already. You’re the only person in our class who actually cares about english homework.”
> 
> ”English is an admirable language and it should be taken seriously!”
> 
> ”Ah...” Tori smirked at Tsukasa. “Your passionate personality could be cute if it was directed at pretty much anything else.~”
> 
> Tsukasa leaned in, very close to Tori’s face. “Oh yeah? I could direct it into something better, then.” 
> 
> Tori’s heartbeat sped up. “And what could that possibly be?” He whispered.
> 
> ...
> 
> ”Getting you to finish all your homework.” 
> 
> And with that said, Tsukasa was gone, back into focusing completely on his own homework.
> 
> Tori’s head hit the table with a ‘thump’.


	2. Sharing a bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ehhhh?! Wait, wait a second! There must be some kind of mistake!”
> 
> “What do you mean, Hime-chan?” Sora stopped and turned back to look at Tori. “You got the broken toothpick, right? So Hime-chan and Tsuka-chan are the same!”
> 
> “I mean, yes. But also no! I refuse to accept this!” Tori pouted exaggeratedly. “Can we trade? I don’t want to stay in the same room as dumb Tsukasa for a whole night!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I didn’t think I’d update this so fast, but getting past the 10 kudos mark really motivated me! Th4Nk you so much, everyone who left nice comments and kudos. It really made my day. I included a lot of my own headcanons in this chapter, but I believe they’re interesting and funny, so I hope it is still enjoyable despite my views on why the characters act a certain way. Also, it’s long. Sorry?
> 
> This chapter contains: light angst, awkwardness, Tsukasa being dense, cute boys sharing a bed, and teddy bears!
> 
> Note: as usual, italics in Tsukasa’s speech means he’s speaking english.

A droplet of sweat rolled down Tsukasa’s forehead. There’s just _no_ way this was happening. He stared down at the two toothpicks Harukawa-kun was holding in his hand, strongly hoping that the 50/50 chance was enough for his, quite honestly non-existent, luck to finally shine in his favor. With shaky hands and a concentrated look on his face, Tsukasa reached for the toothpick on the left. 

However, all his hopes died the moment the truth was revealed. Tsukasa had drawn the broken toothpick.

“ _No_...!”

“Tsuka-chan!~ What bad luck, hihi!”

Glaring at the toothpick did not make it morph into a not-broken version of itself, Tsukasa begrudgingly noted.

“I may have no problem with sharing a room with anyone from our class... However, losing at a game like this, it fills me with a _bittersweet_ feeling.”

“No need to feel troubled! Sora is sure it will be fun no matter who you get paired up with!” Tsukasa had to admit, Sora’s genuine smile and words helped him feel a bit better. “Now, all we have to do is wait until the other group finishes picking their toothpicks too.”

“So, whoever gets the other half of the broken toothpick will be the one who has to share a room with Suou-kun, right? I was the first to pick in our group, so I feel a bit nervous, de gozaru!”

“Don’t worry about it, Sengoku-kun. You may be shy, but you do get along with everyone from our class.”

“Tsuka-chan is right! Sora wanted to share rooms with Mitsu-chan, but that won’t be possible since everyone agreed on a fun game to pick pairs at random. But that means Sora can get closer to other friends from our class, too! This is already the best class field trip Sora has ever been part of!”

“Harukawa-kun.....!” Shinobu’s eyes shone at Sora’s optimism. “You’re right, de gozaru! A good ninja must always get along with everyone from his village!”

Their lighthearted conversation came to a stop as a brunette came running towards them from the other side of the room.

“Daaaashu! Sora-chan!” Mitsuru hugged Sora from behind quickly and then let go to wave at the other two boys. “Hi, hi, Tsukasa-chan, Shinobu-chan!”

Both of them smiled and waved back, Shinobu a bit more timidly than Tsukasa. Despite having seen each other not too long ago, Mitsuru always greeted everyone in cheerful ways.

“I just wanted to let you know we already finished picking. Look! I got the longest toothpick!”

“Sora was hoping he’d be lucky enough to end up sharing with Mitsu-chan, but Sora got the normal sized one.” Sora pouted, comparing his and Mitsuru’s picks, but he then smiled big again, turning to face Shinobu. “This means you will be sharing with Mitsu-chan, Shinobu-chan!”

“Ah!” Shinobu looked at his own pick as if to confirm Sora’s words, then bowed at Mitsuru’s direction. “T-that’s right, de gozaru! Tenma-kun, please take care of this humble ninja for the night!”

“I’m sure we will have a lot of fun, Shinobu-chan! What are we waiting for?! Let’s go look at our room right now! Daze!” He grabbed Shinobu’s hand and ran towards the hotel rooms they were supposed to share for the night. A stuttering Shinobu asking for Mitsuru to slow down was the last thing Tsukasa and Sora heard before the other boys were gone from their view.

“Well... do you think Sengoku-kun will be okay, paired up with someone as energetic as Tenma-kun?” Tsukasa frowned a bit. It’s not that he disliked Mitsuru’s personality, much the contrary, but he knew Shinobu could get overwhelmed easily.

“Don’t worry! Sora saw Mitsu-chan and Shinobu-chan were surrounded by many happy colors! Sora believes they will have tons of fun together.”

“Yo, guys!” Yuta and Tori joined their conversation, having finished giving the teacher their information so they could get accepted into the hotel.

“Huh? Harukawa, were you talking to yourself just now?” Tori looked around as if searching for someone. “Because I can’t see anyone else here?”

“Eh? What does Hime-chan mean?” Sora asked confused, but Tsukasa had already caught on to what Tori was trying to do. An attempt at humiliating him by pretending he doesn’t exist? Really? Well, he could answer appropriately to that.

“Ahem.” Tsukasa moved and purposely put himself in front of Tori’s view. “Pardon my ignorance, but who is this? Could it be the terribly rude and not at all charming heir of that one barely known, nouveau rich family, the Himemiyas?”

“Oh so what I heard wasn’t a bug, but instead a living annoyance known as Tsukasa! That’s even worse!” Tori stood on his tip toes so he could glare at Tsukasa face-to-face.

“Haah... why are you two always like this?” Yuta sighed, trying to interrupt the fighting. “Seriously, we’re only gonna be together for one night. Tomorrow morning we separate again for the field trip, so try to not chew on each other too hard until then.”

“Hoho!~ Tsuka-chan and Hime-chan argue whenever they’re together! But, for some reason, their colors are always lively? Not a dark red like when other people fight. Sora wonders if they are friends secretly!”

“That’s absurd. I’d never be friends with such a spoiled child like him.” Tsukasa sent another ugly look at Tori.

“I’m not spoiled-!”

“Anyway.” Yuta interrupted before another argument could start. “Judging by how much time has passed, I’m sure you two are already finished drawing your toothpicks.”

“Yes we are!” Sora held his toothpick, showing it off excitedly. “Tsuka-chan got the broken one, so the only one left for Sora was the normal sized one!”

“Ah, that’s cool! I got the same, so this means we will be sharing.” Yuta smiled at Sora. 

“HaHa~ HiHi~ HuHu~ HeHe~ HoHo~ Sora and Yuu-chan will have lots of fun! Look, I brought my Nintendo Switch, so we can play lots of games! The name Switch is just like Sora’s unit!” The pair started to walk towards the rooms together, but Tori’s face made it clear he was having none of it.

“Ehhhh?! Wait, wait a second! There must be some kind of mistake!”

“What do you mean, Hime-chan?” Sora stopped and turned back to look at Tori. “You got the broken toothpick, right? So Hime-chan and Tsuka-chan are the same!”

“I mean, yes. But also no! I refuse to accept this!” Tori pouted exaggeratedly. “Can we trade? I don’t want to stay in the same room as dumb Tsukasa for a whole night!”

“Trust me, if I could pick I wouldn’t share with you, either.” 

“See?! He’s annoying me on purpose!”

“Sorry, Hime-kun, Tsukasa-kun, but you two did agree with everything when we explained the game’s rules, so...” Yuta stated calmly.

“Hime-chan and Tsuka-chan should enjoy the opportunity to become friends! Things are always more fun if you do them with friends!” Sora waved his hands. “Now now, goodbye, and goodnight! We can play together tomorrow morning, before we separate for the trip, Huhu!~”

Tori and Tsukasa watched gloomily as the other two boys walked away and entered their room. So this was it. No way to change their fate now.

“Look.” Tsukasa sighed. “It’s true that none of us wants to do this, but as of right now we have no choice. So, let’s just get this done with. We can pretend it never happened, ignore each other’s presence, and then enjoy the _field trip_ with the others tomorrow.”

“Hmph! I guess, maybe you are right.” Tori went ahead and walked into the hallway, followed by Tsukasa. “So, which room is ours?”

“Tenma-kun and Sengoku-kun got room 51, Harukawa-kun and Yuuta-kun got room 52, so this is the one left for us.” Tsukasa stopped before the door to room number 53, opening it.

“It better be a really awesome and fancy room, to be worth having to share it with you.”

As they entered and left their bags in the closet, Tori noticed something.

“Wow! A whole double bed, just for me!” He jumped into the soft mattress without a care in the world. “Huuu~ it’s not as big as the one in my room back at home, but it’s still super comfy!”

“Ahah.” Surprisingly, the scene made Tsukasa chuckle. “I suppose it is to be expected that you’d gush over something as simple as that.”

“Ugh, I forgot you were still here. Just go to your bed and sleep already so I can be at peace! Since it’s your fault I won’t get to play video games with Harukawa, the least you can do is not bother me for the rest of the night.” 

Tsukasa’s smile automatically disappeared.

“Well, as you wish. But I’m going to use the bathroom to change and get ready for bed first, so you should do that too after I’m done.”

Tori waved his hand dismissively, he got up from his bed and went to search for something inside his bag. Tsukasa had no interest in finding out whatever it was, and so he went straight for the bathroom, entering it with the blue stripped pajamas and toothbrush he had brought from home. Thankfully, the hotel bathroom had a tube of toothpaste and a comb inside it’s cabinet. It was by no means the same quality he was used to, but it would be enough. Tsukasa changed into his pajamas, brushed his teeth and combed his hair nicely while looking at his reflection the mirror. A small part of his brain wondered if the new diet was working any more than the others did.

Deeming himself ready for bed, he folded his uniform and left the bathroom.

“Feel free to use it now.”

“Hmph! What took you so long?” Tori pouted before entering the door Tsukasa had just left. Tsukasa decided to ignore the remark and went to put his things back in his bag. 

When he looked at Tori’s bed, he noticed the two teddy bears resting on it. One of them was the dark brown and pink bear Hajime had given Tori after a especially successful live _fine_ and Ra*bits had done together. How Tsukasa knew the story behind it? Tori didn’t stop gushing about what happened for nearly two weeks after Hajime gifted it to him, making sure to let everyone know about the bear’s existence. But that wasn’t surprising in the slightest, those two were practically best friends at this point, so of course Tori would carry the gift with him everywhere. What really surprised Tsukasa, however, was the presence of the second bear, which he recognized as the one he himself bought for Tori on his birthday. It was nothing special, plain cream colored with a simple pink ribbon decorating it’s neck. Back then, Tsukasa felt like it would be rude to not give Tori anything at all, considering they knew each other since they were children, so he ended up buying something at the shopping district a few hours before class started and then leaving the box at the student council room’s desk, with a common ‘happy birthday’ label attached to it. He remembers he definitely did not sign the label, nor did he write any kind of message anywhere in the box, because the thought of Tori recognizing his handwriting and, god forbid, confronting him about it terrified him. Tori probably has no idea who it was that gifted the bear to him even now.

For some reason, that realization made Tsukasa feel very, very bad. Tori obviously cared for the bear, but he didn’t even know the person who gave it to him was someone he strongly disliked. Maybe it was better to tell him the truth at some point, but would Tori even believe it?

Tsukasa decided to stop wallowing in complicated thoughts, he was starting to get sleepy and he could not deal with this right now. Tori and their relationship is a matter for future-and-well-rested Tsukasa only.

He took a look around the room, now that there were no distractions he could check everything and maybe plan how he’d organize things for tomorrow.

“One drawer dresser... one large closet... one double bed... one nightstand with a lamp on it and...”

Tsukasa’s eyes widened.

There was not a second bed anywhere.

“Um.... Tori-kun?”

“Can’t hear you. I’m busy getting ready for bed.” Tori’s voice came from inside the bathroom.

“It’s... it’s kind of important, so if you could rush-“ Tsukasa tried but got promptly interrupted.

“No can do! Wait like a good boy!”

Tsukasa internally groaned. This is a situation he never thought he’d have to deal with. He wondered if it was possible to ask for a new room, but that would probably require a long talk with the staff, and he was only ten percent willing to do that right now. Maybe he could wait for Tori to come into the room and see it himself, surely the other boy would be so grossed out by the idea of them sharing a bed that he’d throw a tantrum and things would be solved, or something. Tsukasa decided to sit on the bed and wait, he was not about to make a big deal out of the situation, the mini Izumi in his mind screaming at him that stress is bad for an idol and that he’s gonna get all wrinkly if he doesn’t at least try to stay calm. So that’s what he’s going to do: stay calm and maturely deal with things.

At least that was the plan, until Tori came out of the bathroom wearing stuffed toys themed pajamas that were worthy of belonging to a 5 years old kid. To make it even more ridiculous, he was wearing one single hair curler at the top of his head, holding back that one weird strand of hair that usually stood up proudly at all times.

Tsukasa tried hard to stifle a laugh behind his hand, but he must not have tried hard enough because Tori suddenly looked very angry.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Huh?” Tsukasa blinked. “Well, I-“

“Idiot!” Tori walked to the side of the bed, bent down and picked up the bears Tsukasa didn’t even notice had fell from the bed when he sat down on it. “There’s dust on the floor, and I really don’t want them to get dirty, because they were very special gifts.” Tori humphed.

Tsukasa’s mouth twisted at the reminder about the bear-situation, but he had already decided to not think about that tonight. “Oh, for a second I thought you were mad because I laughed at your, ahem, get-up.” 

“Huh? It’s not a ‘ _get-up_ ’” Tori quoted, badly mimicking Tsukasa’s voice. “It’s my special and extra cute ‘time to get comfy!’ pajamas. But surely you wouldn’t understand, since a boring person like you clearly has no taste in fashion of any kind.” He smirked, referring to Tsukasa’s own clothes.

Tsukasa kept quiet, only feeling mildly offended because, really, coming from Tori almost nothing ever offended him anymore. He looked back at the other side of the bed where Tori sat down trying to brush the few grains of dust from the two bears.

“Well, Tsukasa? Aren’t you gonna go to your own bed now?”

That reminded him of their current predicament.

“Oh. Right.” Tsukasa frowned. “Did you ever pay attention to the room we’re in, Tori-kun?”

“Yeah, yeah, and what about it?” Tori replied, disinterested.

“There’s only one bed.”

...

A few seconds passed and for some reason the silence made Tsukasa blush. He was expecting all kinds of reactions, from complaints to an actual scream, anything. Anything but silence.

“That’s true.” Tori’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet. The atmosphere in the room had changed drastically and it was so sudden that Tsukasa found himself both confused and embarrassed at the same time. “I had already noticed, but was trying to ignore it.”

“Uhm. I can try to ask for us to change rooms, it would probably be necessary to pay for it, but obviously that’s not a problem.” Tsukasa got up from the bed, wishing more than anything to run away from the heavy metaphorical fog that revolved them right now. He was about to start moving when Tori spoke again.

“Do you really hate me so much that you’d go through all this trouble with the hotel staff, only to avoid sharing a bed with me, Tsukasa?”

A part of Tsukasa started panicking. He was used to their bickering, their play-pretend hostility, but whatever this was, it was new, and Tsukasa had no idea how to deal with it.

“I was under the impression that you were the one who hated me?”

“Ah... well...” Tsukasa couldn’t see Tori from this angle, but he swore he could hear a bit of shyness in his voice. “Maybe I don’t hate you..... that much.”

That caught Tsukasa’s interest, and he turned so he could actually look at Tori.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that this bed is really big, and I’m all cute and small, so we probably wouldn’t even notice the other was there even if we shared it. Besides, talking to the staff sounds like a huge pain, and I’m just tired, and you said earlier that we could pretend this night never happened, so...” He turned to face Tsukasa, and Tsukasa’s heart skipped a beat because _why is Tori blushing right now_?! “Maybe we can try to be friends. Just for tonight.”

“I... I see.” Tsukasa felt like he was missing something, some unaddressed elephant in the room that only Tori could see, but the fog from before had become significantly lighter, and he felt satisfied enough with that. “If you sincerely mean that, it would be rude of me to deny a wish for friendship.”

At that moment, Tori smiled at him and Tsukasa found himself smiling back.

“I’m glad then.” Tori’s smile then turned into his usual smirk, he laid down on the bed and patted the free space beside himself. “I will try to not kick your ugly mug that much in my sleep.”

‘Ah, finally. We’re back into comfortable territory.’ Tsukasa sighed internally, relieved.

“In that case, I will try to not accidentally pull out that ridiculous _hair curler_ from your head.”

As Tsukasa laid down, Tori pouted at him while hugging his teddy bears close to his chest.

“It’s not ridiculous! I wear it so I can look cute even in the mornings! Don’t complain to me when you wake up looking like an overused mop while I remain my usual angelic self.”

“Very well, then. _Goodnight to your angelic self_.”

“Goodnight!” Tori humphed again and then turned so his back was facing Tsukasa. He wasn’t lying about the bed being big enough, and there was a decent distance separating them. “And thank you, Tsukasa. For being my friend.”

Tsukasa almost didn’t catch the whisper, it was so low, maybe Tori didn’t want him to hear it, but he did, and he was glad for that. He smiled, feeling light despite all the stress he went through most of the day. He may not understand what happened earlier, and he’s still feeling like there’s something else they need to talk about, but for now, he’s just happy.

For now, Tsukasa allows himself to just enjoy the warm feeling spreading in his chest, and he falls asleep looking forward to the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Bonus scene:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> It was early when Tsukasa started to wake up. He wasn’t surprised at all, for his routine started early every day and his body just adjusted to it. The three seconds of pure bliss and complete lack of worries and memories are one of Tsukasa’s favorite moments of the day. 
> 
> Unfortunately, they don’t last as long as he would like them to, so he remembers everything that happened the night before and a pink tint invades his cheeks. He shouldn’t be embarrassed! Nothing happened, him and Tori just agreed to be friends for a night. That was not exactly a normal thing by any means, but hey! Nothing bad about that. They just talked a bit. And then Tori blushed while looking at him, and he look very cute, and-
> 
> Okay, Tsukasa is absolutely _not_ gonna go there. 
> 
> Except he can’t take the image out of his mind now that he’s fully awake, and he may or may not be panicking a little, so he gets up trying his extreme best to not disturb Tori, who is still looking very much cute, asleep and still hugging his bears. But Tsukasa doesn’t think about that, because he’s suddenly craving something sweet. A slice of cake would be good right now. Or maybe parfait! Parfait is always good at any moment of the day.
> 
> But unfortunately he doesn’t have anything like that on hand right now, so he settles for opening the closet and going straight for his bag’s front pockets, where he keeps a variety of cheap candy and sweets from his favorite store.
> 
> Now with treats in hand, he pops a strawberry candy into his mouth and turns back to the bed.
> 
> However, what greets him is Tori, this time awake, kneeling on the bed and looking at him with an expression of pure betrayal on his face.
> 
> “Why did you never tell me you kept candy in your school bag???”


	3. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can you at least tell me where we are going?” Tsukasa pleas.
> 
> “Secret! But we’re almost there.”
> 
> As usual, Tori’s answer is unhelpful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s finally midnight here! So, happy new years to everyone. May Happy Elements! give us some ToriKasa content in 2019! I wrote this chapter in like one hour, while doing hiking, so it is purposefully a bit rushed, but I hope it’s still enjoyable.
> 
> This chapter contains: fireworks, secret relationship, kissing.
> 
> Note: italics in Tsukasa’s speech means he’s speaking English(Yes, I will put this note in every single chapter)

Voices could be heard in the distance, together with a soft melody. Most certainly coming from the open event hall they left from a few minutes ago.

_”The fireworks show will start in 10 minutes. Grab a drink, stay close to your family, and enjoy the arrival of a new year!”_ It was low due to the distance, but Tsukasa still could hear it. His brain only half registered it, though, because he was far too focused on the feeling Tori’s hand on his, pulling and guiding him somewhere he did not know yet.

“Ah! We have to hurry!” Tori said, and Tsukasa tried his best to keep up.

It was almost midnight, and they had just ran away from an important New Years charity party organized by the area’s rich families, which obviously included the Himemiyas and the Suous. Tsukasa’s brain was screaming because they would get in _so_ much trouble. But there was no way he could say no when Tori himself asked to go out for a bit. Tori might not be the most responsible guy around, but he was conscious of his duties as the heir of an influential family, and behaved surprisingly well when he was around his parents. So, for him to want to leave in the middle of an event like that... well, Tsukasa wants to believe it’s something important.

“Can you at least tell me where we are going?” Tsukasa pleas.

“Secret! But we’re almost there.”

As usual, Tori’s answer is unhelpful.

Tsukasa doesn’t really recognize this place, it’s a part of town he’s not had the chance to meet yet. Very unfortunately, because the scenario is quite pleasing. It is like a clearing, with a clear view of the sky, so Tsukasa is starting to have an idea of what’s going on.

“Tsukasa.” Tori stopped, turning to face him. “Normally, I wouldn’t come to a place like this, because there’s bugs, and it’s all dirty. But... it’s also the second best place to watch the fireworks show.”

“Let me guess, first place would be with our families, back at the _event hall_?” Tsukasa lifted a brow questioningly.

“Yeah, but.... then we wouldn’t be together.”

Ah. It makes sense. Their families don’t know about their relationship, so they wouldn’t be able to watch the fireworks together— _truly_ together. Tsukasa’s brain is still a bit alarmed, but he feels his heart softening at the feeling of Tori clinging to his hand, facing him and clearly trying to keep a straight face. He hums, because the moment is not one for words, or so he feels. He smiles at Tori, and brings their connected hands to his lips, kissing them tenderly. Tori blushes at that, because of course he does. He’s being uncharacteristically genuine tonight, Tsukasa notes.

“The fireworks are going to start soon.”

It’s a bit anticlimactic, only a tiny bit. Tori is still Tori, after all. But in Tsukasa’s eyes he’s so much more than only that; than only the childish, sometimes annoying, impolite heir of the Himemiya family. It took him a long time to realize, but he does really adore the boy, in a way that makes his heart swell with affection, that makes him want to keep doing his best to grow into a perfect knight, or, if he feels bold enough to say it, into a king. Who knows? Maybe one day they could rule together, side by side, Emperor and King.

He’d like for that to happen.

Tsukasa’s internal monologue is interrupted, however, by the sound of the fireworks starting to explode in the distance. He looks up at the sky, and there they are, of many different colors and intensity. They illuminate the night with elegance and leave him with a warm feeling in his chest, so it is finally midnight, the start of a new year.

He feels Tori hug him softly, and looks down to find the shorter boy staring right at him. Tsukasa blushes, but only because that caught him off guard. He was expecting Tori to pay attention to the fireworks before anything else.

“My wish for next year...” Tori starts whispering, and Tsukasa leans closer so he can listen properly. “Is that we can be together like this more often.”

The fireworks become background noise as Tori gets on his tip toes and connects their lips. It all becomes static in Tsukasa’s brain, and he feels like he might explode. But he doesn’t, he just kisses back and tries to convey all his feelings into it, he needs Tori to know. Know that he loves him, and that, no matter what, he won’t be leaving any time soon.

Ah... they really are going to get in so much trouble, aren’t they?

Tsukasa feels like he’s very okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No bonus scene this time! Sorry guys, but this was supposed to be a drabble, and it ended up getting too long. I don’t understand why whenever I try to write short things they end up way longer than intended.


	4. Beauty and the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What book is it?” Tsukasa felt the beast’s snout hovering over his right shoulder, and closed the book harshly.
> 
> “Ah, nothing important, really. Just something I had with me before, you know, being kidnapped and kept hostage by a three meters tall pink rabbit.”
> 
> Tsukasa couldn’t help but snap, turning to face his companion. The beast’s snout scrunched up and his eyebrows formed a frown. If it wasn’t for his honestly comically big fangs, he almost looked like he was pouting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. Today I’m bringing you guys a personal favorite of mine, and an Alternative Universe I came up with myself. It’s very special to me so I’d be truly happy if anyone out there liked it. As the title suggests, it’s a Beauty and the Beast AU! where Tsukasa is Belle while Tori is Beast. I took many liberties with it since the AU! is mine, but it is still essentially the same as the original tale. One of the things I changed is that Tsukasa doesn’t find out about how to end Tori’s curse until after he’s already cured and back into being human, because I don’t like the “lowkey highkey guilt tripping Belle into falling in love with Beast because that’s the only way to save him” thing. It’s not really important in this chapter though, because this is just a small part of the AU! I’ve been meaning to write. Let me know if you enjoyed it and would like to see more of it in the future! I might even make it into it’s own fanfiction if people are interested. :)
> 
> This chapter contains: platonic interactions, crush development, some teasing from Tsukasa! Sliiiightly out of character Tori, his self esteem is a bit affected because of the curse so he doesn’t boast about himself as often and is a bit more serious.
> 
> Notes: There’s a lot of backstory missing in this chapter, but they’re not essential if you know about the original Beauty and the Beast tale. The most important details are: All characters are aged up, Tsukasa is 25 while Tori has been physically 23 for the past 100 years due to the curse; Tsukasa doesn’t speak english in this AU!; Izumi is Tsukasa’s brother; Leo is a really important person to their village due to being a famous traveler merchant and also because of his connections with the Emperor. Trivia that isn’t really important but I still think they’re neat: IzuLeo is a thing here, the castle’s servants are all humans with animal features such as ears and tails, and Eichi is Tori’s descendant! You can see it like this: Tori’s sister(who was not affected by the curse and was able to flee the castle) is Eichi’s grandmother. Though, they have no memories of Tori because of the curse.
> 
> Sorry, I know I’m rambling so I will stop before this note gets too long. I just hope you enjoy this chapter even if it is more of an introduction to this AU! than a _real_ ToriKasa romantic story.
> 
> This is what the Beast looks like: https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/intermediary/f/b70ba54b-66be-4fa0-907e-fdc462b55351/dcvj1r9-3d712171-9e58-4e27-8240-cc4372c7fc7f.png/v1/fill/w_954,h_837,strp/concept_by_takamines_dcvj1r9-pre.png

“Do you like reading?”

Tsukasa had been so engrossed in his reading that he did not notice the beast coming into his room. To be fair, he ended up leaving the door open now that he didn’t feel as threatened by the creature’s existence anymore, so he didn’t blame himself too hard for not noticing it.

“Yeah.”

“What book is it?” Tsukasa felt the beast’s snout hovering over his right shoulder, and closed the book harshly.

“Ah, nothing important, really. Just something I had with me before, you know, being kidnapped and kept hostage by a three meters tall pink rabbit.”

Tsukasa couldn’t help but snap, turning to face his companion. The beast’s snout scrunched up and his eyebrows formed a frown. If it wasn’t for his honestly comically big fangs, he almost looked like he was pouting.

“I was just trying to start a nice conversation, but I see you’re only in the mood for giving people short answers and being a big idiot. Besides, I’m _not_ a rabbit.”

Their lives had been like this the past weeks, nonsensical banters between the two, failed attempts at eating meals together, and just overall awkward situations. 

It all started when Tsukasa offered his life in exchange for his brother’s boyfriend, Leo, who had apparently stole something from the castle’s garden, and consequently was taken hostage by the beast. Tsukasa, alarmed by Leo’s disappearance, commanded the man’s horse to take him to where Leo was last seem. Finding the castle was easy, but he was not ready to find out that not only was the place quite literally alive, but the prince and owner of the castle was a large monster with paws that were nearly the size of Tsukasa’s head. The beast offered a trade, claiming he had taken more interest in Tsukasa rather than Leo, and that the orange haired man was way too noisy so he would end up killed for being too annoying. Leo, being his usual self, tried to convince Tsukasa to leave him there, and that he would be fine because he was not _that_ annoying, but Tsukasa could not just leave him there when he knew how important Leo was to so many people in their village. Going against Leo’s exaggerated excuses and pleas, he accepted the beast’s offer, and watched with a heavy weight inside his stomach as Leo was released from the cell he was being kept inside. The orange haired man thanked him for his bravery, and claimed that he’d come back to rescue Tsukasa was soon as possible.

It has been quite a long time since then, but Tsukasa is not about to start losing hope.

He notices the beast is still looking at him, probably waiting for an answer. Weirdly enough, his fur does not look as gross as it usually does, he smells kinda good and he is also wearing actual decent clothes. Tsukasa blinks.

“Well, I suppose you could say I’m in the mood to be left alone.”

“That’s too bad, _princess_ , because I was right on my way to the castle’s own private library and I was going to invite you to accompany me. However, I see you’d rather stay here locked in your room until dinner time.”

“Castle’s private library?” That piqued Tsukasa’s interest. There were many areas in the gigantic castle he had not been to yet, mostly due to the servants’ insistence on keeping him away from certain wings and rooms.

“Yes. Rows and rows of books, coming from all parts of the world, in many different languages. The usual stuff you’d expect from a castle owned by a rotten rich 100 years old cursed monster.”

“Self deprecating humor doesn’t really fit you.” Tsukasa said without thinking. The beast’s eyes widened.

“Huh.” He muttered, caught off guard, and Tsukasa suddenly felt embarrassed for saying that. Thankfully the atmosphere didn’t last long. “Well, I _am_ nearly 100 years old. But, anyway, are you coming?”

“Oh! Yeah. I don’t really have anything else to do right now.”

“Suit yourself.”

With that, the beast started walking out of the room and into the castle’s long hallways. Tsukasa followed right behind, a bit apprehensive about the possibility of getting lost if he couldn’t keep up.

As expected, this was an area he had not been to yet, as he did not recognize the paintings and doors that they walked past. For most of the walk, Tsukasa kept feeling as if a pair of eyes followed him, but it was not surprising considering he knew about the existence of one particular servant that always followed the beast around at all times. All he knew was that his name was Yuzuru, and he was really polite and did anything the beast commanded him to. Yuzuru had been the one to release Tsukasa from the cell he was locked in and guide him to an actual room, which he explained would be Tsukasa’s room from now on as he would have no choice but to start living in the castle, but they didn’t interact that much. Tsukasa was a bit glad for that, because the man had a somewhat terrifying aura around him despite his polite and kind exterior.

The walk was silent except for the sound of their footsteps, but it was not long before they reached two large doors which the beast pushed easily, opening them.

“And here we are. Make yourself at home.”

Tsukasa’s eyes shone as he walked into the room. It was not small by any means, in fact it was probably bigger than any other room he’s been into before, and the walls were completely covered with tall and elegant bookcases.

“It’s... it’s marvelous...!”

Tsukasa tried hard to keep his composure, walking into the center of the room. He had always loved books and how they could tell many different stories, reading had been one of his favorite activities since his childhood and he had a clear bias for poetry and adventure books. It was mostly Leo’s fault, for always bringing him books from his travels and even writing and dedicating one of his poetry collections to Tsukasa.

“Do you like it?”

The beast’s voice brought Tsukasa back to the moment at hand, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Yes!” Tsukasa nodded with a smile. “I never thought you’d own something like this. It’s a very pleasant surprise.”

“Well... if you like it this much, then it’s yours.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Because I’m forcing you to spend a long time here, so the least I can do is give you something to entertain yourself with.”

Tsukasa felt confused at the beast’s quiet and almost regretful tone, he had never considered the possibility of the creature having feelings of strong empathy. Thinking about it now, he had been a bit of an asshole, surely he had all the right to be mad after being kept hostage but he was being treated nicely by the servants and he didn’t even try to see things from a perspective that was not his own, not to mention that technically the beast had never hurt him in any way. He was being kinda unfair, and he knew it even if part of him did not want to admit it.

“That’s very thoughtful of you.”

The beast did not reply, only keeping his back turned to Tsukasa. He seemed a bit lost in thought for reasons Tsukasa couldn’t have any idea of why.

A few seconds of silence passed before Tsukasa moved, walking towards one of the bookcases and gently caressing the book’s covers with his fingers.

“Have you read all of them?” He tried again. For some reason, the beast’s quiet behavior was starting to bother him.

“Hm?” Finally, they were facing each other again. “The books?”

Tsukasa nodded.

“Most, but not all of them. Some are in languages I don’t speak. Though, to be fair, Yuzuru is the one who reads them as bedtime stories for me every night.” 

“Are you telling me that a 100 years old giant rabbit _still_ needs someone to read him bedtime stories so he can sleep?” Tsukasa smirked.

“Ugh. I don’t know why I thought it would be okay to tell you that.” The beast growled, hiding his face behind his paw. He then bared his teeth and fangs at Tsukasa. “And I already told you, I am not a giant rabbit.”

“You look like one though. You even have big ears!” 

“Rabbits are small, inoffensive, and they _certainly_ do not have horns. I am big, and scary!”

Tsukasa chuckled, watching the beast point to his horns, emphasizing what he had said.

“‘Scary’ isn’t the word I’d use to describe you. I mean, you’re literally pink. If anything, I think ‘cute’ would be a much more fitting substitute.”

“C-cute?!” Tsukasa could swear the beast was blushing. “You’re insane! That’s it, I’m leaving. I have many pressing matters I need to take care of. Enjoy your gift, but don’t forget that dinner is at 7pm on point.”

The beast got up and left in a rush, closing the door behind him with a bam. Tsukasa wondered if maybe he went too far with the teasing, but the beast did not look or sound offended so he decided to not overthink things. It was weird how their unpleasant interaction from before had led them to the previous situation, where Tsukasa got to see a more soft and somewhat childish part of the beast for the first time since his arrival at this castle. He felt weirdly relieved for some reason, because that just proves how he had been misjudging the other this whole time. Grabbing a book from one of the many bookcases and sitting down on the couch at the center of the room, Tsukasa shook off his more serious thoughts and got ready to immerse himself in a completely new story until it was time for dinner.

Tsukasa was only interrupted hours later, by two knocks on the doors before they opened and Yuzuru revealed himself, his posture impeccable as always. 

“Young master requests your immediate presence at the dining room.”

“Was he so busy that he couldn’t come invite me himself?” Tsukasa got up from his sitting position, and walked to put the book he had been reading back into it’s place. He turned to Yuzuru and the man bowed almost automatically, his tail moving lightly behind him.

“Young master decided that tonight he wanted to be in his best shape, as to meet you, princess Tsukasa, for a fancy and amiable dinner. With the help of the other servants, he is getting ready for said situation at this exact moment.”

“Alright.” Tsukasa sighed, this ‘princess’ thing was starting to freak him out a bit. “I don’t mind going, but I’d be thankful if you could stop calling me ‘princess’. It’s not really the kind of title I’d adopt for myself.”

“As you wish, Sir Tsukasa.” Yuzuru returned to his original position, starting to walk outside the library. “Now, please, follow me into the dining room reserved for tonight’s meal.”

Tsukasa followed wordlessly, starting to get used to being guided through the castle’s immensity. He was growing curious to see what Yuzuru meant when he mentioned the beast’s wish to be at his best shape tonight, it had only been a few days since the beast’s attempts at looking decent started, and it was a somewhat shocking contrast from Tsukasa’s memories of his first days in the castle. Back then, the creature’s fur was always dirty and unkept, the clothes he wore were also dirty and most of times full of holes and just terribly ugly in general, not to mention he did not smell half as good as now. He just looked like he has given up on himself, though Tsukasa did not fully know why that would be.

He supposes even 100 years old beasts who refuse to leave their huge castles have secrets they’d like to remain unknown.

“We’re here. I hope dinner is enjoyable for you, Sir Tsukasa, and that Young master’s company will bring you joy for the night.”

Tsukasa thanked Yuzuru, and entered the door he had been guided to. He did not mention the fact that, even if the beast’s company brought him nothing but discomfort, he would be unable to tell Yuzuru about it as he was too scared of the man’s potential to murder him if he badmouthed Yuzuru’s ‘Young master’ whom he was so loyal to.

“I see you decided to join me tonight.”

The beast was sitting at the very last chair at the end of the table, from what Tsukasa could see he was wearing a white attire that was fitting for the situation, and he had his bangs brushed so they didn’t hide his eyes as much.

“How could I say no when you asked so nicely? Besides, I see you spent a long time preparing this.”

“This is nothing. But I did plan it. Not to impress you or anything silly like that, but to show you that I _can_ be a decent person, too.”

“Don’t worry, I guess I’m starting to see it now.” Tsukasa smiled, walking towards the seat right besides the beast, and sitting down. “Though, it is still weird to be having dinner with someone whose name I don’t even know. I’ve been calling you ‘beast’ all this time, but looking back at it now, that’s a rude thing to do. I doubt it doesn’t bother you to at least some degree.”

“It doesn’t personally bother me, since I’ve grown used to it. But...” The beast humph’ed, crossing his arms and looking to his side. “I suppose if you really want to know... it’s Tori.”

“What?”

“My name. It’s Tori. So you can call me that from now on, if you want.”

“Wait, are you smiling?!” Tsukasa asked with a hint of a smirk. “You’re secretly glad I asked, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not! And I don’t care what you call me, so don’t get cocky! I just got something stuck on my fang, so I’m trying to get it out. That’s all.”

At that, Tsukasa laughed.

“Stop laughing!”

In the end, this might not be the ideal situation, and Tsukasa still hopes Leo will follow his promise of coming back to rescue him, but it’s not the worst that could happen. There’s good food, comfortable beds, a decent quantity of things to entertain himself with... so, really, Tsukasa thinks to himself, maybe being locked up in this castle for a few more weeks isn’t going to kill him like he first thought it would.

The beast’s, or should he say Tori’s, company was quite pleasant during dinner that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you watched the Beauty and the Beast live action movie then you probably recognized the library and the dinner scenes! I heavily based this AU! off the movie since it’s my favorite version of this classic tale.
> 
> I was going to write a bonus scene based off the “Something there” song from the movie but I freaked out at the possibility of being made fun of because I wrote a songfic so I decided against it. But if you’re any curious, this is my favorite part of the song!:
> 
> “There's something sweet and almost kind  
> But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined  
> And now he's dear and so I'm sure  
> I wonder why I didn't see it there before.”
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter 5** \- Crush
> 
> Hajime pushes strands of his blue hair behind his ear. “Do you... like anyone? I-I can’t be the only one in this situation, right?”
> 
> The image of red hair and lavender eyes flash in Tori’s mind, and he frowns immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I don’t have a lot to say about this chapter, other than that it is a Valentine’s Day themed chapter, and it is ... the longest chapter so far. I really hope you guys enjoy it! It was going to be an angsty chapter at first, as my original idea was to have Tori find Tsukasa confessing to Anzu on Valentine’s Day, and then give up on his own plan to confess, but I didn’t have the heart to make him go through that so I decided to use it as an excuse to write HajiTori friendship, and gave it a happy ending. I had so much fun writing, and it took me a long time, it’s my favorite thing I’ve ever written so far so it would make me happy if the readers liked it as well.:-)
> 
> This chapter contains: Many platonic interactions, vaguely mentioned TomoHaji and MaoMako, Tori being extremely gay but also extremely in denial, unrequited-but-not-really feelings, confessions, kissing, blushing cute ToriKasas, Tsukasa as a bisexual disaster.
> 
> Note: _Italics_ in Tsukasa’s speech means he’s speaking english.

It was only two days until Valentine’s Day, and Yumenosaki Academy was already overflowing with the sweet and lovely vibes coming from the students. It would be a day for people to gather all their courage and confess their feelings, or to leave a secret chocolate box in your crush’s desk if you were the shy kind of person. Tori really wasn’t feeling it this year, though, so he decided he would spend as much time as he could alone in the student council room for the next three days. Normally he wouldn’t be able to find it empty, given Mao’s workaholic tendencies, or Yuzuru’s overprotective behavior, but they had been spending more time socializing with their friends due to the upcoming holiday. Tori had overheard Mao mentioning something about Yuuki-senpai, so maybe he was finally going to confess to the blonde. Yuzuru, on the other hand, was probably spending time with the RYUSEITAI second years. 

Tori huffed, resting his head on his arms and laying on the desk. It was a bit lonely, yeah, but he had learned to appreciate his alone time, so it wasn’t completely bad. Looking at the wall to his right, he automatically noticed the little red heart decorations, and frowned. Who even put that there?! God, he really needed to get out of this sour mood. Usually, Tori doesn’t really mind Valentine’s. It’s a good holiday full of good intentions, that gives couples a happy excuse to go on dates or spend time together. He liked basking in people’s happiness and positivity, it always left him with a smile on his face and a feeling of hope in his chest. 

Not this year, though. Because this year, he had a terrible, terrible problem to deal with.

Tori had been desperately crushing on Tsukasa Suou for months now.

He groaned, grabbing his hair with his hands. Just thinking of that name could awaken the deepest feelings of fury within him, while also making him feel as if he had swallowed a thousand butterflies. It was stupid, and confusing, and _stupid again_! He blames it mostly on having to be in the same class for the second year in a row, being forced to look at Tsukasa every single day is surely driving him crazy. There must be some brainwashing subliminal message hidden in Tsukasa’s lavender eyes. Tsukasa’s beautiful, beautiful lavender eyes. Or maybe in his smooth skin, or in the way his laughter sounds when he’s enjoying himself, or in all his perfect smiles, or—

Okay. Tori pinches his own cheek, there’s _definitely_ something wrong with him. He detests Tsukasa! And Tsukasa does him. It works fine just like that. A couple months of Tori pining for him definitely isn’t going to change that.

Tori ignores the way his chest clenches at that thought.

* * *

The next day is no better. Tori thought that maybe if he focused properly in class he wouldn’t spend as much time stealing glances at Tsukasa’s desk. That plan proved itself to be impossible, however, as the teacher seemed to have picked today as the day for all the most boring subjects. By the second hour of class, Tori already wanted to scoop his eyes out with a spoon, or fill his ears entirely with cotton. He didn’t even have the option of trying to fall asleep, due to the fact that this year his designated seat was at the front row. He mentally groaned, looking for a distraction, literally anything.

To his left, Yuta was doodling some shapes on his notebook. Two desks to his right, Shinobu was trying really hard to copy what was written on the board as fast as possible. Behind Shinobu, Sora didn’t even try to hide the fact he was playing games on his phone. In the back row, Mitsuru seemed content to just hum what Tori could recognize as the most recent song Ra*bits had released a few weeks ago. Nothing interesting. At all. Same as always. But then again, what did he expect from his classmates?

He sighed as his eyes unconsciously started moving towards the desk to his right, and as much as he wanted to avoid doing it, he found himself discreetly glancing at Tsukasa. The boy worn his uniform neatly as usual, shirt completely buttoned up and blue tie resting snuggly inside his collar. He stared concentrated at his notebook while taking notes, with a small and endeari— _ugly_!— pout. Tori noticed that Tsukasa’s hair looked a bit longer. It had always been long enough to reach the nape of his neck, but now the dark red strands of hair went past it, a hard contrast against the shirt’s white collar. If he didn’t get a haircut soon, he’d probably have to start keeping his hair in a low ponytail, just like Knights’ old king did. That was a kinda gross thought, Tori didn’t want to compare Tsukasa to Knights’ old king. He had worked so hard to grow up and become the person who he is now, comparing Tsukasa to someone else feels like taking away his credit, even if it’s not really that deep. So, instead, Tori focuses on Tsukasa’s hand, which has not stopped moving, holding the pen and leaving annoyingly neat handwritten words on paper. It’s dumb to think about it, but if one day Tsukasa ever wrote Tori a note, he feels like he wouldn’t have it in him to crumple it up and throw it in the trash, even after days had passed and the note was no longer useful. Tsukasa’s handwriting just had this charm about it, elegant in a way that makes you want to admire it. But of course, Tori thinks, it’s only fair that such beautiful hands would produce something as beautiful as them.

Oh my God, he really just called Tsukasa’s hands beautiful. His _hands_!

“Tori-kun? Is something the matter?”

Next thing Tori notices, Tsukasa is turned to him, lifting an eyebrow and looking at Tori questioningly.

“What?” He asks back.

“You’ve been staring at me for quite some time now. Last I checked, I didn’t have anything on my face, so if there is anything you’d like to say, please be quick as I consider paying attention to class my top priority right now.”

Tori’s heart stops, so much for trying to be discreet! He had been caught staring, while trying desperately to _not_ stare. This was definitely going in the “most embarrassing things to ever happen to Tori” list. But it’s okay, he can still recover.

Tori takes a deep breath.

“You look long.”

“ _What?_ ” Tsukasa looks incredulous, and confused.

“I mean,” ‘ _Shit! Why did I say that?!_ ’ Tori panics. “Your hair. Long. You. Like, it’s growing long. That’s, uhh, ugly.”

Tsukasa’s face goes from confused, to offended, to frowning and to disappointed in a few seconds. His lips press into a thin line, and he turns back to writing his notes. He doesn’t even grace Tori with a reply.

The last hours of class are like slow and cruel torture, Tori doesn’t dare look at Tsukasa again, still too embarrassed about the awkward exchange. Not feeling like leaving the classroom for lunch, he shoots Yuzuru a text asking the butler to bring his bento to class 2-B. Thank God Yuzuru has been making more decent bentos recently, they’re still bland, but at least he doesn’t complete ignore the spices rack anymore. Tori doesn’t think his mood can get any worse at this point, but he’d still like to avoid any more unpleasing experiences if he could help it.

Yuzuru does as he’s told, as usual. He doesn’t say anything as he hands the bento to Tori, but he also doesn’t try to conceal the concerned look on his face. Tori immediately sighs, and then pouts.

“I have a headache. And both the roof and the cafeteria are going to be crowded, I refuse to deal with that.” It’s only a half lie, being surrounded by students being all lovey-dovey with each other really is the last thing he wants right now.

“I see. It is uncommon for you to choose to not join your friends during lunch time, so I was a bit alarmed.” Yuzuru hums. “However, if Young Master doesn’t feel well, I would like for him to rest in the infirmary.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Tori dismisses Yuzuru with a flap of his hand, already opening the bento and grabbing his chopsticks. He sticks some rice into his mouth, followed by a piece of broccoli.

“Mmhhmn.” He swallows, and then looks at Yuzuru, who’s still standing in front of Tori’s desk. “What is it, slave? Didn’t you hear me?”

“I must admit, you do not look physically unwell in the slightest, so it’s hard for me to believe an excuse like that. If there is anything troubling you, Young Master, please do not hesitate to rely on me. I will do whatever is necessary to grant your comfort.”

_’Yeah, not happening.’_ Tori thinks to himself, trying to not roll his eyes. As much as he appreciates Yuzuru’s unyielding loyalty and his too forceful eagerness to please, he’s not about to start spilling all his issues with his non-existent love life. He _knows_ how extreme Yuzuru can get.

“I appreciate the concern, but it’s really nothing someone as great as me can’t deal with, thank you very much.” Tori huffs, for good measure. 

“Very well. I would like it if it was possible for me to stay with you at all times, even during classes, but alas, I understand that you, Young Master, do not need my coddling as much as you did last year.” Yuzuru looks as if he still wants to say something more, but those are the last words to come out of his mouth. He bows slightly, excusing himself, and leaves the classroom.

Tori almost stops him from leaving to point out that, no, he _doesn’t_ need Yuzuru’s coddling. Or anyone’s, for that matter. Now that Eichi has graduated, and trusted Tori the title of Emperor, he can’t afford to have people doing things for him all the time, much less treating him like he’s an infant. Well, at least not at the academy, where everyone can see. He kind of misses being spoiled rotten, but without Eichi to welcome him into his lap and pet his hair, the only ones who would kind-of-willingly do that are Hajime and Anzu. Unfortunately, for Tori, the girl has been quite busy upon becoming a third year and barely has time to play with him anymore. Boring. Tori misses his big sister! No one else from the producer course is as interesting, or fun, as Anzu.

When lunchtime is over and his classmates start re-entering the room, Tori wraps up his half-eaten bento and throws it inside his desk. He pretends to not feel grossed out and itchy when he sees Tsukasa enter the room, with at least three different types of chocolate boxes in his arms.

* * *

“Tori-kun?”

Hajime bumps into Tori the moment classes are over, and it’s unexpected, but not unwelcomed. 

“Wah! Hajime!” Tori promptly wraps his arms around the taller boy’s torso, pulling him in for a hug. “I’m so glad to see you!”

“Ehehe. Hello, Tori-kun.~” Hajime smiles shyly, moving his hand to pat Tori’s head. “You seem to be in a good mood. I was worried, since you didn’t come to lunch, you know...”

“Just didn’t feel like leaving the classroom, is all. But I’m only in a good mood now because of Hajime, so as a reward for lifting my spirits up, I will allow you to keep patting me.~” 

“E-eh?! I’m honored, but... I saved the whole week so I could rent the academy’s kitchen for today, so I need to go there as soon as possible.”

Tori pouts, letting go of Hajime. “If you need services in the academy, you can just ask me! Money certainly isn’t a problem. You don’t have to save for weeks only so you can use a facility in here for a couple hours.”

“I appreciate the offer, Tori-kun. But no, thank you.” Hajime laughs softly. “I would never ask something like this from anyone. Besides, Ra*bits has been doing well when it comes to funds this year. Ah, I think I’d feel lonely though... Working there all by myself.”

“Hm? Aren’t the other rabbits going with you?”

“Not this time.” Hajime starts walking, with Tori right behind, following him. “It’s kind of embarrassing... but I wanted to make something for them for Valentine’s day.”

“Oh!” Tori smiles. “Caring as usual, aren’t you, Hajime?~ It’s one of the many things I like about you! Hehe, you truly are worth of being my best friend.~”

“I just think it would make them happy.” Hajime smiles back, but then looks like he’s just had a realization. “Ah! Tori-kun, why don’t you come help me?”

“Uuu... I really don’t want to do any work, and I’m trying to avoid anything that makes me think of Valentine’s Day, but...” Tori chews on his bottom lip. He could use a distraction right now. “Well... I think it’s only natural for you to want my cute self to keep you company, so...”

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to do any work, if you don’t want to.” Once they reach the kitchen, Hajime opens the door with a key he takes from inside his jacket’s pocket. “Here we are. It’s empty because no events are being held that require part-time-jobs in the kitchen today, I was relieved when I learned that.~”

Tori hums, going inside and taking a look around. He had been in there before, obviously, but not like this. The kitchen looked different when it wasn’t packed with people doing dishes, or cooking in the stoves. It looked so... clean.

He watches as Hajime walks towards the counter, gently placing a plastic bag on it. 

“I will be making some simple chocolates for the people I’m closest to, Ra*bits included, of course.” He takes out some chocolate bars and colorful molds from inside the bag. “We can talk, and you can watch while I make them.~ Thank you for keeping me company, by the way.”

“It’s no problem at all, if it’s for you, Hajime.~ Ah! Hey, hey, does that mean you’re gonna make chocolates for me too? Gimme, gimme!” Tori tries to reach for the chocolate bar, but Hajime pushes his hand away, laughing.

“Of course, silly. You _are_ my second best friend, after all.” He turns the stove fire on, placing a pot filled with water on it. “Ah, careful to not get burnt, okay?”

“Don’t worry, there’s no way I’m coming any closer.” Tori says, keeping his distance from the stove. “‘Second best friend’? I would feel hurt, if I didn’t know first place belongs to Mashiro only.”

“Ah... I didn’t mean it like that. You are still really important to me, you know.” Hajime places the bowl filled with the chocolate pieces above the pot, gently mixing the pieces with a spoon until they start melting slowly.

“Boohoo.~ I know, I was just joking.” Tori sticks his tongue out at Hajime, but smirks right after, moving a hand to cover his mouth. “While we’re on that topic... are you finally going to confess this year?”

Hajime’s cheeks turn red instantly, and he almost looks like he’s going to drop the bowl he’s holding. 

“Uhm— Tori-kun, that is—“ He sighs. “No... you know I can’t do it, Tomoya-kun isn’t... he doesn’t like boys, like we do. And I would rather die than lose my friendship with him.”

“Eh, I don’t believe that. Cute boys are the best thing in the world! And you are cute, almost as cute as me. Besides, the way he talks about you makes it su~uper obvious. I think you should at least try, give him some super sweet chocolate, or something like that.~”

“I... I will think about it.” Hajime moves the bowl filled with now melted chocolate into another counter. “Do you want to help me pour it into the molds? It’s kinda fun.”

“Hmmmmm.~ I guess I’m feeling especially generous today, so I will help you.” 

Tori grabs a spreader and starts pouring the chocolate into the molds, making sure they fill the holes properly, while Hajime goes back to melting more chocolate in a different bowl, so they can work a bit faster. They work in silence for a few minutes, the blue haired boy humming a song Tori doesn’t recognize, but he appreciates it nonetheless. Hajime’s voice is always pleasing to the ears. They may look like a weird duo, considering their completely different personalities, but somehow it works in a special way that makes it so they get along really well. Hajime is patient, so he doesn’t get annoyed at Tori’s antics, and in exchange Tori is nice and supportive to him like he does no one else.

“What about you, Tori-kun...?” 

Hajime stops humming and faces Tori, surprising the short boy. 

“Me? What about me?” He asks, a bit defensively. He blames it on not expecting such a sudden question.

“I mean... you know...” Hajime sounds unsure, he places the bowl with the last of the melted chocolate besides Tori on the counter, and pushes strands of his blue hair behind his ear. “Do you... like anyone? I-I can’t be the only one in this situation, right?”

The image of red hair and lavender eyes flash in Tori’s mind, and he frowns immediately.

“A-ah! I’m sorry... that’s too intimate, isn’t it...? I shouldn’t have asked like that...”

“No... it’s... it’s fine.” Tori’s frown weakens, and he feels his blood rushing to his cheeks. He grabs the chocolate and starts pouring it into the molds again, maybe if he acts like this isn’t about him, he won’t feel so _weird_ about it. “Well, the truth is, I do.”

He trusts Hajime, so telling him this much is not a problem.

“Ah...” Hajime smiles warmly. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me who it is. I’m happy for you. It’s a hard feeling to deal with, but it does feel good to care about someone like this, right?”

“Ugh. I dunno, the guy I like is a total moron. I mean, I _guess_ he is kinda cute, but nothing to gape at. And he doesn’t like me, so it’s whatever.”

Tori moves to help Hajime put all the molds in the fridge, and admires their work. Sure, it’s nothing professional, but it looks like it will be enough, and they worked hard, so that’s what matters. 

“Well... I won’t push you, but I thought about what you said and... um... I will talk to Tomoya-kun tomorrow when I give him the chocolates so... I think you should try too, Tori-kun. We made a lot, so I’m sure there will be some left. I will come to school extra early tomorrow to get them out of the molds and put them inside some decorative bags I bought yesterday. If you want, I can give you an extra bag together with your gift...”

Tori automatically knows what Hajime means by that. And he hates himself for _actually considering_ it. He’s about to reply, when the kitchen door opens and someone walks inside.

“Young Master.” Yuzuru’s smile is sharp and not all that friendly. A shiver runs up Tori’s spine, and he gulps. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere around the academy for approximately two hours now.”

“Ack! Yuzuru! I completely forgot to text you!”

“I even went as far as to ask everyone I knew if they had seen you. It has been some time since you tried to run away and hide from me, so I feel especially hurt.”

“Um. I— I’m sorry?” Tori takes a step backwards, because Yuzuru is scary when he’s mad. He really didn’t mean to forget, but the decision to accompany Hajime was so sudden that his phone was the last thing on his mind. “I’m really sorry, for real! So d-don’t be mean to me in front of Hajime!”

Yuzuru’s eyes look away from Tori, and he finally notices the blue haired boy. The danger in his gaze completely dissipates.

“Ah. Hello, Shino-sama.” 

“G-good afternoon... Fushimi-senpai.”

“Hajime!” Tori jumps behind Hajime. “Protect me from him! He’s going to kill me!”

“Um. If it helps, I was the one who asked Tori-kun to come help me make chocolates... so it’s true that he wasn’t trying to hide from you...”

“Hm. It seems that I have misunderstood the situation. However, it does not make me feel better for spending two hours searching around the academy.”

“I already apologized! What else do you want from me?” Tori pouts, still hiding behind Hajime, who now had his hands up, trying to remedy the situation.

“L-let’s just calm down, okay...? Fushimi-senpai, it’s clear Tori-kun didn’t mean to worry you. It’s okay if you forgive him this time, right...?”

“Very well.” Yuzuru straightens his clothes. “I shall not blow things out of proportion. Young Master, we will have a talk about responsibility and the importance of communication as soon as we get home, but for now... you’re forgiven. So, please, come out from behind Shino-sama and let’s go.”

Tori reluctantly moves, walking towards Yuzuru. He huffs before turning back to Hajime and waving.

“Bye bye, Hajime.~ We will have more fun next time!~”

“Thank you again for helping me, and promise to think about what I said, okay? Goodbye Tori-kun, Fushimi-senpai.”

After they leave kitchen, and then the Academy, the drive home is silent. Knowing Yuzuru, the ‘talk’ he mentioned will only come after they’re done with all the responsibilities that await for them there. Tori is _so_ not looking forward to it.

* * *

Night comes, and Tori is unable to sleep.

Doing chores around the mansion was enough of a distraction for a few hours, and then being forced to sit down and listen to Yuzuru’s lectures kept his mind occupied. But now, in the silence of his room, only illuminated by his small pink wall light, Tori keeps thinking about the holiday tomorrow. If Hajime wasn’t such a gentle, kind, perfect ball of sunshine, Tori would even go as far as to say he’s mad at him. Unfortunately, getting mad at Hajime is impossible, so Tori settles for blaming himself for overthinking what the other boy had said earlier. 

He’s _not_ seriously considering it. He really isn’t. But, maybe, if he, hypothetically, did it, what would he say? How would Tsukasa react? He’d be angry, probably. Actually, scratch that, he would be confused, and think Tori is joking, because he is that oblivious. 

Tori groans into his pillow, pulling his teddy bear closer to his chest. Tsukasa is so so so stupid! Making him feel like this, making him lose sleep over something that isn’t even that important! The part of him that wants to do it is starting to grow bigger than the part that knows it’s a terrible idea. Because that’s what it is, a terrible idea, implanted into his mind by the illusion that there’s a minuscule chance Tsukasa might feel the same. First of all, he doesn’t even have a plan. It’s gonna be a complete embarrassment. But... Maybe he can give Tsukasa the chocolates in silence, then see how the boy will react, and improvise from there... Or he can say it’s just a friendly gift, but there’s the possibility he will blurt out something stupid if he starts feeling nervous. Maybe he should just be honest, say what’s going on. You know, be straight about it. 

Ha, straight, nice joke.

Maybe if he gives Tsukasa the puppy eyes, he will be nice about rejecting Tori. 

He still knows it’s a bad idea, but at this point he can’t even lie to himself anymore. He’s _totally_ considering it, heck, he already convinced himself he should do it! At the very least, telling Tsukasa how he feels might free him from the feeling that he’s hiding some super area51-level secret. Tori doesn’t know how long he can keep hiding it anyway, the scene at class earlier that day is proof of it. The feelings that used to be just a small waterdrop inside his heart had grown and evolved into a stormy ocean. It took a lot of his self control to not act a fool whenever they bickered nowadays.

Fine, Tori concludes, if he’s really going to do this, then he is gonna do it properly! He is a Himemiya after all, and he’s also the cutest boy in the whole world, so if Tsukasa rejects him it’s completely his loss. Tori snuggles a bit deeper into his bed, pulling his blankets and covering himself and his teddy with them. It seems that this conclusion is what his brain had been craving for, because as soon as he becomes confident in his decision, a wave of calmness washes over him, bringing a peaceful slumber with it.

* * *

The next morning, Tori wakes up so early even Yuzuru is flabbergasted. The butler asks him if he’s okay multiple times, from the time he wakes up until breakfast.

“Geez, Yuzuru! I’m fine! Just feeling a bit energetic!”

Yuzuru’s face makes it clear he doesn’t believe that, but he proceeds to place the pancakes in Tori’s plate.

“Mmmh.~ It looks more like nervousness than energy, though? Does this have anything to do with Valentine’s Day?~”

As usual, Tori’s little sister is way too cunning for her age. He sends her a glare, and bites into his honey covered pancake.

“Not at all! It has nothing to do with anything like that, so don’t go getting weird ideas, okay?~”

“Huh?” She looks up from her cereal bowl. “But your diary said—“

“What?!” Tori interrupts. “Have you been reading my diary again? I already changed the lock’s combination twice this month!”

“It’s not my fault you always pick such easy predictable numbers.~”

Tori frowns, ready to argue more, when Yuzuru sits between them, a single piece of toast on his plate.

“Fufufu.~ You remind me greatly of Young Master back in his rebellious phase. He used to just do whatever pleased him, though I suppose it’s not really any different now.”

“Can you two stop talking as if I weren’t right here?!”

With Yuzuru watching over both Himemiyas, breakfast goes without major disasters happening. Tori loves his little sister, truly, but she _can_ be a bit annoying if she wants to. That’s a trait that runs in the Himemiya blood, apparently.

As soon as their morning routine is finished, Yuzuru and Tori’s designated driver takes them to Yumenosaki so they won’t be late. It’s not that long a ride, but Tori really cannot stop feeling restless. He’s thanking all existing Gods that Yuzuru seems like he doesn’t want to meddle with Tori’s personal life, because as much as he’s obviously struggling to hold back from asking about it, he hasn’t done anything extreme yet, so that’s a good thing. The car stops and Tori sends Hajime a text asking to meet him at the door of classroom 2-B. Everything would be way easier if they were in the same class, but now that the producer course was a thing, most of the classes had more than 6 members making it so switching between class A and B was very hard. Hajime’s response comes almost automatically, and he agrees to meet Tori.

Yuzuru keeps him company until they get to the classroom hallways, where they have to separate due to the third year’s classrooms being in a different floor.

“Have a good day at class, Young Master. Please, let me know if you need anything through the day.”

“Don’t worry Yuzuru. Valentine’s Day can’t kill me.”

Yuzuru nods with a smile, whispers a small “good luck” that for some reason makes Tori blush, and then starts walking up the stairs. As soon as Tori can’t see the butler anymore, he shakes his head to get rid of the red on his cheeks, and then rushes to his classroom. It would be rude to leave Hajime waiting, after all. The school is relatively empty at this time of morning, so Tori wants to use that to his advantage, it’s not like it’s uncommon for students to meet early before class on Valentine’s Day, but he would very much like to avoid any misunderstandings.

“Hajime.~”

It’s not hard to spot the blue haired boy standing in front of class 2-B. Tori runs to him, trapping Hajime in a hug as he usually does.

“Ah... Tori-kun. Good morning.”

“Good morning.~” Tori smiles and pushes his head into Hajime’s hand as the boy pats his head. “No— wait!” He leans away, letting go of Hajime and pouting. “Last night I couldn’t sleep well, because I kept thinking about what you said to me yesterday!”

“U-uh...! Did I say something wrong...? I don’t remember, but if I did, I am really sorry!” Hajime bowed deeply.

“N-no!” Tori grabs the other boy by his shoulders, pushing him back gently. “I already told you, you don’t need to bow like this... I know I’m great and all, but you didn’t do anything wrong... I mean, I did lose sleep because of what you said but... it wasn’t bad.” The red returns to Tori’s cheeks. “I was just thinking. And you were right, and I think I will give the chocolates to T— ...the guy I like... after class today.”

“Oh! I almost forgot, but I put the extra chocolates in a special bag...” Hajime opens his shoulder bag, fishing two bags from inside it, one being a simple transparent cellophane, and the other being a different one, red decorated with white hearts. Inside of both are the chocolates Tori recognizes as the ones he and Hajime had made together the day before. For a fraction of second, Tori can see a third different one inside, pink with red hearts and a blue ribbon, but Hajime closes it before he can take a better look. “Here you go.~ Happy Valentine’s Day, Tori-kun... thank you for being my friend.”

“They’re so cute, and of course delicious since I helped make them! Thank you so so much Hajime! Hehe, having me as a friend is already a huge gift.~ Buuut, since you went through all this trouble to help me... I will make it up to you on White Day!~”

“It’s okay. I’m just happy I could help a friend! And besides... I wouldn’t have the confidence to face Tomoya-kun today if it weren’t for your support...”

“Right! And I will be wishing you good luck! Good luck, you can do it, Hajime!”

“T-thank you...! And same to you, Tori-kun!” Hajime pats Tori’s head one last time, before they hear voices coming from the hallway. “Ah, classes are going to start soon so... um... Tell me how it went later, okay?”

“Okay!~”

Hajime leaves just as Mitsuru and Sora turn the hallway, walking to class together and talking with smiles on their faces. Tori takes a deep breath, the easy part is done, now he just needs to survive until lunch and then... just go from there. Yeah, it will be all okay. He can do it. Tori waves good morning to both boys, then walks inside the classroom and takes his seat, waiting for classes to start.

Classes end up not being as bad as Tori thought they would be. Sure, they’re boring, but he distracts himself with looking outside through the window and daydreaming. It’s not ideal, he knows he should pay attention to class since his parents expect him to keep his grades high, but one day can’t hurt that much. Besides, no one else seems to be paying much attention either, not even Tsukasa, which is a bit shocking considering Tsukasa is always such a nerd. In fact, he looks like he’s deep in thought, mind not quite present as he holds the pen but leaves no writing on his notebook. It kind of worries Tori, that’s definitely weird behavior coming from Tsukasa, he starts having a bad feeling and the restlessness inside him starts morphing into a negative anxiety. Maybe he should postpone the confession plan, Tsukasa looks like he’s got a lot on his mind already.

The bell chimes, signaling classes are over and they’re allowed to leave, but Tori remains sat down, waiting until everyone starts getting up and leaving the room. He already texted Yuzuru that he would be leaving class later than usual, but he can feel himself getting nervous, all the resolve from last night completely disappears as the bag of chocolates stare at him from where he placed it at the desk’s corner. He should just delete the text and then tell Hajime there was some accident that prevented him from approaching Tsukasa today. 

Tori’s mind is already making up a long list of excuses, when he sees someone walk to his desk and stop right in front of it. He looks up to find Tsukasa himself, his posture perfect as usual and both his hands behind his back. He looks kind of uncomfortable, or stiff.

“Tori-kun. There is something I would like to discuss with you.”

“Eh?!” Tori half-squeals, caught off guard. That’s definitely _not_ something he was expecting. “Um. Well, I’m here so can’t you just spill it?”

“It is... something akin to a private matter.” Tsukasa avoids eye contact, he has an almost unnoticeable pinkish blush on his cheeks. 

Tori looks around, and notices there’s no one but them in the classroom.

“There’s literally no one else here.”

“...Of course.” He says no more, and is still looking anywhere but Tori. 

Tori huffs. It seems like he was right to worry about Tsukasa, apparently he’s got a few screws loose today.

“So?? What do you want to talk about? C’mon, I don’t have the whole day y’know.” He tries to sound annoyed, because his heart is starting to beat faster, and with the way Tsukasa’s cheeks are growing red, this scene is way too easy to misunderstand. He’s not about to let himself get his hopes high, at least not now that he kind of half-gave up on his confession.

“I’m going to go straight to the point.” And now Tsukasa is looking at him, eye-to-eye. Tori doesn’t look away. “We’ve known each other since childhood... and I admit the past years have been... especially _complicated_. But I would like it if we could at least try to get along from now on. Next year we’re going to be third years, and we will have no choice but to rely on each other, considering you are to become the Student Council’s president.”

“Is this what this is about? Really?” Tori frowns. So he was right to not have his hopes high. “The almighty Tsukasa from the Suou family, trying to get favors from the soon-to-be Student Council president? Tsk tsk tsk... that’s kind of pathetic, don’t you think? You almost looked like a high school girl trying to confess to her crush.”

Now Tsukasa is the one who looks annoyed, surely due to Tori’s teasing. He takes a deep breath, as if to steady himself. Tori thinks it’s cute how hard he’s trying.

“I am not asking for _favors_. And neither am I withdrawing from our little... competition. If anything, I might take our rivalry even more serious next year. But, well...” Tsukasa’s hands finally move from behind him, revealing a small brown box covered with a pink ribbon. “For what it’s worth, there has never been any rule saying that rivals can’t be friends as well.”

Tori’s eyes widen, staring at the box being handed to him as if it had grown three eyes. His arms don’t move even if all he wants to do is grab Tsukasa’s gift and treasure it forever, he is totally frozen in place. If Tsukasa’s cheeks are red, Tori feels his own are completely on fire. 

“I understand it’s sudden. I do not expect a reply, but I decided to ask anyway... Better late than never, I suppose.” Violet eyes move, looking at the window again. Tsukasa presses his lips together as he places the box on Tori’s desk gently, before turning to leave.

“W-wait, Tsukasa!” Now that the previous shock is mostly over and he recovers control over his own body, Tori gets up from his chair hastily, going straight for Tsukasa’s wrist and holding him in place. He looks at Tori with pure confusion in his face, his brows lifted as if he didn’t expect a reaction at all.

“I... have something to give you, too.” Tori refuses to look directly at Tsukasa, his left hand moves to grab the chocolates bag blindly, while his right one is still holding Tsukasa’s wrist. He finally is able to get a hold of it after a few attempts, and pushes the gift right into the other boy’s chest. Tori pouts exaggeratedly, an action that ends up making his blush even more obvious. “This is not exactly how I wanted it to go but it’s good enough, I guess. Not like I can count on you to not mess everything up.”

“Tori-kun...?”

Tori’s mouth twists, and his stomach feels like it might explode. He is just _so_ nervous. But Tsukasa was the one who started this, and even got Tori a gift, so he _has_ to like him at least a little bit, right? And he doesn’t look grossed out either, Tsukasa might be extremely dense but even him isn’t oblivious enough to not understand what is going on to some degree. Tori’s mind is screaming at him to just say it! He already came this far, might as well go all the way and finish it, even if he makes a fool of himself in the process.

“Tsukasa...” He sighs, and tries to maintain the least bit of eye contact possible, his pride screaming at him for such an ugly demonstration of weakness. “I really... really like you, and have for some time now. So... Happy Valentine’s Day, or something...!”

Oh my God, he really did it. And he didn’t even stutter. Tori smiles as much as his nervousness allows him to, at the very least he can tell Hajime he definitely did _not_ make a complete fool of himself. It even sounded kinda cool, if he says so himself.

The problem is, Tsukasa haven’t said anything yet, so Tori is starting to slowly lose his pose. He convinced himself rejection wasn’t that bad, but living through it is different from just imagining it. Tori braces himself, and risks taking a look at Tsukasa. He expects the boy to have either an angry expression, or a mocking look of pity, but what greets him is none of those.

Instead, Tsukasa almost looks like he’s about to cry. His whole face is red, down to the neck, and his eyes are alternating between fixating on the floor and on Tori’s gift. Tori is aware that he must be in a similar state, but he could never have guessed he would be responsible for bringing such extreme reaction out of the usually-collected Tsukasa. It kind of makes him feel proud of himself.

“If you’re thinking about how to nicely reject me, don’t worry about it. It’s not like I’m gonna start crying.“ Tori starts, because he doesn’t know what else to say, and he knows it’s totally an awkward moment to both of them, but he needs Tsukasa to at least say _something_. 

_Anything_.

“Tori-kun... Can I kiss you?” Comes a quiet whisper.

Tori blinks.

Then blinks again.

And a last time, before those words register in his mind. Something inside him snaps, and he thinks it was impossible for him to feel any more embarrassed, but he realizes he should never forget how far Tsukasa’s bluntness can go. He frowns, feeling mildly insulted, and steps forward, grabbing Tsukasa by his tie. Confessions or whatever aside, what makes him think he can just casually _ask_ something like that to _him_ , the Heir of the Himemiyas?!

“What the heck, Tsukasa! Only because I said I kind of like you it doesn’t mean you can even consider kissing me!”

“ _What_?!” Tsukasa looks down at Tori indignantly. “I- I assumed that’s what you wanted? You just confessed to me, so I thought—“

“Doesn’t matter what you thought! If anything, _I_ am the one who’s going to kiss _you_!”

And then Tori spins both of them so they exchange positions, with Tsukasa’s back turned to the desk and Tori pushing him into it. He slaps both of his hands on the desk, one on each side of Tsukasa’s waist, trapping him in place. It’s a comical scene, considering their height difference, but that’s not important in Tori’s mind right now. He stares right into Tsukasa’s eyes, pouting.

The taller boy still looks a bit confused, but a newfound sparkle of resolve shines in his eyes. He reaches for Tori’s forearm, pulling him closer, and crashes their lips together. 

It’s terrible, at first. To be fair, none have any experience, so they don’t quite know what to do or how to move. However, Tori relaxes, the earlier tension completely forgotten now, and leans in a bit more, closing his eyes. The positive response gives Tsukasa some confidence, and he lets go of Tori’s forearm in favor of holding his face instead. At this point, he is almost sitting on Tori’s desk, pushing both their gifts back until they fall on the chair. The position is awkward in a way that might give him neck or back pains later, but Tsukasa barely notices it, far too concentrated on how soft Tori’s lips are, the kiss sweet and loaded with unspoken feelings and words. 

When they separate and Tsukasa opens his eyes again, the view is almost as breathtaking as the kiss itself. Tori is trying to catch his breath, cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, and he licks his lips.

“You... taste like Froot Loops...”

Tori says unconsciously, and it makes Tsukasa chuckle. 

“I sure do hope that’s a good thing. Ah, and just for the record, you never said you _kind of_ liked me; you said you really _really_ liked me.” He pushes Tori away gently, so he can stand up properly again, but as soon as he does, Tori’s arms are around his torso again.

“You’re gonna make me regret saying that.”

“That’s hard to believe, considering how you’re clinging to me right now.” Tsukasa can’t fully see Tori’s face from this position, but he’s fairly sure the boy is blushing. He doesn’t doubt he himself is, too, but it doesn’t bother him as much as he thought it would.

Tori sighs, because he feels relieved. He’s wanted to do this for months now, just be able to hold Tsukasa, and be close without the weird pressure that their established rivalry brings. No family names, or grudges, or social statuses, just. Them.

“This means you like me, right...?”

Tsukasa smiles, he moves his hand to pet Tori’s hair. “I... Yes. I should’ve realized earlier. It would have spared us many unnecessary confrontations.”

“True! But I guess I can forgive you, if you keep petting me! And...” Tori mumbles something else into Tsukasa’s shirt.

“What?”

Tori backs off, letting go of Tsukasa, and as much as he misses the feeling instantly, he stands proud, pointing a finger at the other boy’s chest.

“I said... I am going to give you the honor of going out with me!” As soon as the words come out of his mouth, Tori blushes, barely able to keep a straight face. “If you want. But of course you do. You do, don’t you?”

Tsukasa decides embarrassed Tori is definitely one of his favorite things. “So does this mean I get to call you my _boyfriend_?” He can’t help but tease.

Tori’s blush grows, and he quietly nods, before turning to his desk and grabbing his things, their gifts included. He waits for Tsukasa to grab his bag as well, and then reaches for his hand, holding it shyly. It’s funny how shy Tori got suddenly, considering his behavior during the kiss earlier, but Tsukasa isn’t complaining. It’s actually kinda endearing. He accepts the chocolates Tori hands him for the second time, and puts it inside his jacket’s pocket.

They walk back home together that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Bonus Scene ******
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> ******  
> 
> 
>  
> 
> Days later, Tori finds himself inside the Student Council room, sitting in front of a tall pile of papers. Tsukasa, on the other hand, is sitting on the couch, hands folded over his lap as he listens to Mao’s lectures.
> 
> “Himemiya needs, and I can’t stress this enough, to be more responsible. Next year I won’t be here anymore, and he’s going to have to take care of the Student Council, not to mention the new members will go to _him_ for guidance.” 
> 
> Mao has been going for a few minutes now, Tori almost feels bad for Tsukasa. It’s not really his fault, Tori was never very fond of paperwork, and he’s surely not gonna start liking it now. Wanting to take breaks to spend time with his boyfriend is just natural. 
> 
> “I apologize, Isara-senpai. It seems that Tori-kun doesn’t really understand the consequences of his actions.” Tsukasa sends an ugly look in Tori’s direction. The response he gets back is an innocent smile. 
> 
> “Well, at least you have some sense of responsibility.” Mao sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I just wish a certain _someone_ would learn with you, considering how grossly close you’ve been recently.” 
> 
> Tsukasa suddenly stands up, hand on his chest as he goes into what Tori likes to call ‘knight mode’. “I must no longer allow Tori-kun to be a bratty spoiled child. If in the future, he comes to me looking for an excuse to skip his duties, I, Tsukasa Suou, shall reject him _properly_.” 
> 
> Mao lifts a brow, obviously not used to people taking their unit themes that seriously, even if his best friend is also a member of Knights. “Oookay... I believe you. Just don’t let Himemiya run loose around the academy and do whatever he wants. He doesn’t really listen to anyone but eh, I had to at least try.” 
> 
> “You have some guts lecturing me and my Kasa for a crime you’re also guilty of, Saru!” Tori snickers behind his hand. “Don’t think I don’t notice that you leave early at least twice a week nowadays. Sure, your papers are always in order and it’s good that you don’t overwork yourself anymore, but we both know it’s a~all thanks to Yuuki-senpai.~” 
> 
> Mao can’t hide the blush that invades his face, and Tsukasa blinks, feeling absolutely lost. Yuuki-senpai? Makoto Yuuki-senpai? Since when are he and Isara-senpai in a relationship? He makes a mental note to ask Tori about it later. 
> 
> “Fufu.~ Don’t worry Saru.~ Me and Glasses are in the same club, you know?~ He started looking a lot happier after Valentine’s Day. I wonder why that is?~” 
> 
> “You’re a cheeky one, aren’t you? Talking like this to the President... Though, you were always like this so I don’t know why I’m surprised.” Mao fake-coughs into his hand, undoubtedly trying to change the subject as soon as possible. “I’m gonna let you two slide this time. But I do expect you to follow your promise, Suou. As for Himemiya,” He points a finger at Tori. “You better be finished with all these papers by the next week, because if you don’t, no amount of excuses will convince me to not give you one of those super long and boring lectures you hate so much.” 
> 
> Mao takes a hold of the door’s handle, but stops before opening it. He turns back to Tori one last time. 
> 
> “It’s good to hear Makoto has been feeling brighter recently... Thank you for letting me know.” 
> 
> And with that, he opens the door and leaves. As soon as Mao is gone, Tsukasa abandons his persona, looking at Tori with a hint of a smirk. 
> 
> “So... Since when am I ‘ _Your Kasa_ ’?”


	6. Strawberry Pancake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Tsukasa finally opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is pink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok ok Hi guys! Future fic ahead! I have been crying over the tiny bit of ToriKasa lore we got from Requiem for the past 3 days!!! I can’t believe Happy Elements finally remembered they exist!!! I’m so incredibly happy I simply _couldn’t_ wait to write something about them. For anyone who might be considering writing this ship, this is the perfect time guys! I’m so so so happy that it’s confirmed they went to middle school together, and Tori asked Tsukasa to come to Yumenosaki together!! And Tsukasa’s whole speech about how he realizes being rude to Tori was wrong, and that he actually respects him aaaaa i love my boys so so so much.... please enjoy this chapter! It’s not a long as I’d like for it to be, but I’m actually ranking for in Leo this event so I didn’t have a lot of time to think of an elaborate plot. I really really really just wanted to write soft domestic and silly ToriKasa being dumb and in love.
> 
> This chapter contains: established relationship, **SO MUCH DOMESTIC FLUFF** , kissing, morning cuddles, a tiny bit of Tsukasa reflecting about their past, Tsukasa has a kinda bad family situation, comfort, more comfort, mentions of marriage, cuteness overload.
> 
> Notes: In this chapter, the only thing Tsukasa says in English is _”low blow”_ , near the end of the fic. Their height difference is of 23 centimeters, with Tori being 160cm tall while Tsukasa is 183cm. Obviously, they may sound somewhat OOC due to it being a Future Fic, but I hope it’s enjoyable nonetheless. I decided to not specify if they are still idols or not in this, so you can assume whatever you like best.

The weak rays of sunlight coming from outside the window, passing through the thin fabric curtains, are what bring Tsukasa’s conscience back from dreamland into the real world. He stirs slightly, brushing his face against the soft pillow and comforter. He doesn’t open his eyes, not yet, instead basking in the short heavenly seconds that come upon waking up. Tsukasa enjoys them while they last, feeling cozy inside his comforter nest, but soon enough his brain provides him with the information that it must be some time around 6am, and therefore time to get up. Another part of his mind reminds him that it’s also the weekend, so technically he doesn’t _need_ to be up this early, but years of training himself to become a morning person have made it so he’s rarely able to sleep past 7am now. 

_‘Maybe I can take care of some papers and get some work done before lunchtime.’_ Tsukasa thinks, somewhat grumpy. He turns to lay on his side, feeling how something moves in front of him, and snakes his arms around the person’s waist, pulling them close to his chest instinctively.

When Tsukasa finally opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is pink.

The color itself is already calming to him, and he smiles, feeling his bad mood disappear before it could even truly exist. But, more important than that, is the person whose pink hair belongs to.

“Good morning, Tori.” He whispers, nosing into Tori’s hair and then planting a kiss on the man’s temple.

“Don’ wanna wake up yet...” The words are slurred and muffled by the comforter as Tori curls up, but Tsukasa has grown to be perfectly fluent in ‘sleepy Tori’. 

“Well, you’re already awake now, aren’t you?”

“Quiiiiiiet~ I can still go back to sleep if I try.” 

Normally, Tsukasa would try harder, maybe even tickle Tori to get him out of bed, but this morning he feels especially at peace. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that it’s the weekend, but he finds himself okay with the concept of escaping today’s responsibilities briefly, if only so he can enjoy the day’s early hours doing nothing more than snuggling his fiancée. Tsukasa hums, moving his head so he can kiss Tori’s shoulder through the oversized shirt he’s wearing, and then going back, tightening the hug only a tiny bit more. He tells himself he can’t help it, Tori is just way too good at being the little spoon.

It’s only long minutes later that Tori moves again, freeing himself from Tsukasa’s hold in order to roll so they’re facing each other. 

“What’s up? Aren’t you gonna, like, try to make me get up like you always do?” Tori asks, watching him with playful suspicion.

“Hm... No. To be truthful, I feel very pleased with the current turn of events.” As if to prove it, Tsukasa pulls the comforter closer and readjusts it, covering both of them completely. He opens his arms and gestures for Tori to come closer.

“I suppose if you really want to spoil me that badly, there’s no way I can say no.” Tori wriggles until their bodies are touching, resting his hands on Tsukasa’s chest and playing with the pajama shirt’s buttons there. “It’s uncommon for you to not automatically think about work as soon as you wake up.”

“Even I need a break sometimes.”

“You need breaks _more_ often than just ‘sometimes’. What if one day you pass out from exhaustion and has to stay at a hospital? I would be so lonely, sleeping in this large bed all by myself, without my husband.” 

That makes Tsukasa’s smile grow, Tori is rarely honest about most of his feelings but the past years he’s been working to get better at that, so for him to so openly demonstrate his worries, and even use such an intimate word, Tsukasa feels proud. He inches closer to Tori’s face, closing his eyes and connecting their lips in a soft kiss. It is brief and sweet, and when they separate Tsukasa lets his forehead touch Tori’s, resting it there so they can look at each other’s eyes.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He musters every feeling of love running through his body, hoping the look in his eyes conveys just how much he means those words, and then brings his hand up to caress Tori’s cheek. “Forever the Emperor’s loyal Knight, yes?”

“Geez, Tsukasa! You’re so sentimental!” Tori rushes to hide his face on the crook of Tsukasa’s neck, blushing so much despite his words. The redhead chuckles at that, giving his now free hand the mission of petting Tori’s hair softly.

“You’re the one who called me your husband even though we aren’t married yet.”

Tori huffs, obviously annoyed at being caught, and the movement makes his hair tickle Tsukasa’s chin and cheek. He leaves the safety of Tsukasa’s neck, still red in the cheeks.

“ _Only_ because your parents hate me.”

“Tori...” The observation makes Tsukasa’s chest hurt, because he knows it’s true. Maybe the word ‘hate’ is too much, but they don’t try to hide the fact they don’t approve of their relationship. Tsukasa might have thought he understood, in the past, when he blindly followed the adults around him and perhaps hurt Tori the most out of all of them, but he’s long since learned, or rather accepted, the truth. That by doing that he was only hurting himself, sticking a blade so deep into his own stomach that, maybe if he hadn’t realized how unhappy and lonely he felt, it might have been too late. Tori was never an enemy, or someone inferior to him. They both were the same, just children too scared to disappoint their parents, too prideful to acknowledge their own faults, who messed up many, many times before understanding how to make things right.

Tsukasa had tried, of course. To convince his parents, try to talk sense into them and explain the way he himself started to see the world. But it was hard, his father and mother are like an immovable wall, both extremely strict and conservative no matter how many years pass. Nowadays, they barely talk or interact outside of business meetings. 

Tsukasa thinks it’s a waste, that the two people who gave him the name he’s so proud of would fall so deep into an abyss of meaningless arrogance.

“Hey.” Tsukasa’s inner monologue is interrupted by the feeling of Tori’s fingers on his cheek. “Touchy subject, right? Sorry, for joking about it.”

“It’s fine.” Tsukasa sighs, leaning into the touch. “What you said is not exactly wrong, but I will not give up so soon. If, in the end, I fail to bring them to my side... I would still pick the life we share, over anything else. With or without their consent and blessing.”

“If there’s anyone who can change their minds, it’s you.” Tori’s eyes are shining, and he has a subtle blush on his cheeks which Tsukasa finds terribly endearing. He finishes his phrase with a playful pinch to Tsukasa’s cheek. “But enough thinking about that, hm? I’m thinking more about how you said you’d spoil me the whole morning. I want breakfast in bed!”

“I never said that...” And then, the smile is back to Tsukasa’s lips. There was a time where Tori’s antics used to annoy him, and they still do sometimes, but he finds this side of Tori more familiar with each day that passes. Right now, he decides he doesn’t dislike it. “If you want me to cook, I suppose I can whip up one of Ritsu-san’s special recipes.”

“Nooo!~ I take it back, I don’t want to die by food poisoning!” Tori smirks, and then throws his arms around Tsukasa’s neck, and legs around his waist, clinging to the man with all four limbs. “Now you’re trapped here with me forever. You’re not allowed to leave until I get tired of looking at you!”

“Sounds like it’s gonna take a while, then.” Tsukasa laughs despite himself, not even trying to push Tori away. “You realize I can still get up, even with you attached to me, right?”

To prove his point, Tsukasa rolls out of bed. Carefully as to not accidentally hurt Tori, but otherwise effortlessly. Tori gasps, tightening his grip and clinging to Tsukasa like a koala.

“T-this is treason! Go back! Go back!”

“If you surrender and let go, the bed will surely cushion the fall. But I will not catch you.”

The situation is ridiculous and childish at best, even more coming from two adults, but inside the four walls that is their bedroom they see no reason to be embarrassed. 

“I would _never_ surrender, not even to you.” Tori pouts. But soon smirks again, accepting the challenge. 

Tori lasts exactly 20 seconds before he starts moving as if to let go, and Tsukasa watches him quizzically, half amused, but is caught off guard when only the legs around his waist loosen, so most of Tori’s weight is left dangling from the hold he has on Tsukasa’s neck. 

“Ack—!” His back arches forward, and Tsukasa falls back on the bed, his reflexes only fast enough for him to catch Tori in his arms before the collision. He laughs vividly. “That was definitely a _low blow!_ ”

“Not my fault you weren’t paying attention.~ Now you’re back in my domain, and _I_ dictate the rules, so I say we have breakfast in bed!” 

Taking advantage of his position on top of Tori, Tsukasa inches closer, a look of defiance on his face.

“And what happens if I say no?”

The look he receives back matches his own.

“Well, then I will have to punish you.”

Tsukasa doesn’t wait for Tori to finish his reasoning before kissing him again, lightly pushing him into the soft surface of their comforter. Tori reciprocates immediately, hands moving to grab at Tsukasa’s cheeks and pull him closer, as if this had been his plan all along. Tsukasa smiles into the kiss, he doesn’t doubt that this whole thing was just an exaggerated plot to get him to loosen up, but he feels happy nonetheless.

They stay like that for a bit longer, just enjoying the feeling of each other, before Tori reluctantly pushes Tsukasa, his cheeks a flaring hue of red, and slightly out of breath. His bed head looks worse than before now, even that one weird strand of hair at the top of his head is sticking at an odd angle.

“I hope you know kissing me is hardly a method of punishment.” Tsukasa reaches to run his fingers through Tori’s hair, trying in vain to fix the mess there. His heart does a backflip when his fiancée closes his eyes and leans into the touch.

“Tsukasa...” The way Tori whispers is quiet, vulnerable. He opens his eyes slowly, looking directly at the other man. “I... really love you.”

Taken aback by such a bold and unexpected confession, Tsukasa feels his blood run to his cheeks, and he’s sure he must look like a complete blushing mess. He realizes he’s been caught off guard twice already in a single morning, and as much as the thought half-annoys him, he doesn’t have it in him to feel anything but extremely lucky. Lucky to have found happiness in an unexpected place, in an old childhood friend whom he once tried to convince himself he hated. His old self truly couldn’t have been further from the truth.

“I see that you totally love me so~o much you have no words to describe it.” Tori speaks up again, less serious this time. “But don’t worry, there are plenty other ways to show a man you love him, y’know.”

Tsukasa feels like he already knows where this is going. He lifts a brow, waiting for Tori to continue and say the words Tsukasa is already sure he’s going to say.

“Make me pancakes for breakfast!~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Bonus scene:**
> 
> When Tsukasa comes back to the bedroom, tray in hands, Tori is laying on the bed. He looks like he just showered, his bedhead is gone, hair fluffy looking due to being dried with a blow dryer, and he’s wearing a long sleeved shirt that _actually _belongs to him. He’s looking at something on his phone, and Tsukasa places the tray on their nightstand before looking over Tori’s shoulder.__
> 
> ____
> 
> ____
> 
> ”Photos from Highschool?”
> 
> Tori hums, moving his head a bit to the side so Tsukasa can look at the screen better.
> 
> ”Yup. Hajime sent them to me last night, he said he found one of his old photo albums from back then and ended up getting distracted looking at it.”
> 
> Zooming into one of the pictures, Tori laughs. It shows both of them, photo taken in the middle of one of their infamous bickering wars, Tsukasa holding one of Tori’s wrist, while the shorter boy has his free hand pulling the small ponytail Tsukasa sported during their second Highschool year.
> 
> ”We were kind of embarrassing back then, huh?” Tsukasa says, not being able to hold back a chuckle.
> 
> ”Correction: _you_ were embarrassing. I was cute, lovable, funny, charming; and still am.”
> 
> “Fufu.~ What about that day in our third year, when you got a bad haircut and ended up having to wear a hat everyday to school for weeks, before Sensei lectured you for breaking dress code?”
> 
> ”Glk—?!” Tori almost chokes on the orange juice he had just started drinking. “You still remember _that_?!”
> 
> ”I could never forget. Fushimi-san even showed up at the Academy despite having graduated the year before, only to check if you were being bullied because of it.”
> 
> ”Shut up, shut up!!” Tori rushes to push a fat piece of pancake and sliced strawberry into Tsukasa’s mouth. “That was so embarrassing! Just thinking about it is making my skin crawl!”
> 
> Tsukasa takes his time to chew and swallow the food, covering his mouth with his hand to suppress a giggle. Once he’s done, he takes the fork from Tori’s hand, catching a honey-covered slice of pancake and offering it to Tori, who huffs, but soon opens his mouth and allows Tsukasa to feed him the rest of his pancakes.
> 
> The next hours are spent chatting and laughing, bringing back old memories, some of them embarrassing, some as sweet as the honey and strawberries left in the breakfast tray.
> 
> Tsukasa doesn’t regret staying in bed that morning.


End file.
